Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture has inaugurated the Community Urban Farming Project in Hulhumale'.
The Community Urban Farming Project is an initiative of Housing Development Corporation (HDC), conducted in collaboration with the agriculture ministry, Ministry of Economic Development and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The programme is part of the Sustainable Economic Empowerment and Development for SMEs (SEEDS) project conducted in the Maldives by UNDP Maldives with support from the Government of Japan. The programme provides the opportunity for residents of Hulhumale', especially women and people with disabilities, to earn an income through agriculture and farming, and aims to promote local production and reduce the dependency on imported food.
HDC provided 16 plots of land located in an area designated for the farming programme, which includes storage, a fertiliser shop and a seed incubator shed. HDC stated 48 individuals have been selected for the programme and that 40% of the plots have been allocated for women, while 30% of the plots are allocated for the youth and disabled people.
All participants of the programme have been provided agricultural training by the agriculture ministry, Business Centre Corporation (BCC), and Agro National Corporation (AgroNat).